Asher has accepted a position in Carson City as an Infrastructure Liaison Officer with the state of Nevada working for the State Fusion Center.
"It is an opportunity for me to continue on in an area that I am very passionate about," Asher said. "It is not easy. But it give me the opportunity to grow professionally. It is a great opportunity that doesn't come along every day. Sometimes you have to take a look at the bigger picture."
The fusion center acts as an information clearing house for state and federal agencies concerning homeland security. Its goal is to detect, prevent, deter and respond to crime and terrorism by analyzing data.
"This has not been an easy decision to make on my part," Asher said in a press release. "My more than 28 years of law enforcement, 23 of which have been with the city of Sparks, have been very rewarding and I appreciate very much the opportunities the mayor, City Council, and city manager and given me. I will greatly miss the Sparks Police Department and entire city team."
Asher was hired as police chief on Nov, 17, 2008 after former chief John Dotson retired.
According to city spokesman Adam Mayberry, an acting police chief will be named soon. Currently, Steven Keefer holds the position of Sparks deputy police chief.
Asher said that the timing for his resignation notice was done very specifically in order to give the city time to find a new police chief.
"That is why I gave them the notice that I did ... it gives them the opportunity to start a search so they don’t have as much of a lag time."
Asher, a 49-year-old Sparks native, got his first taste of public safety work when he jumped from the classroom at Wooster High School to a job as an animal control officer. Then, after a suggestion from former Sparks Fire Department Chief Tom Clewell, Asher decided to pursue a career with the Sparks Police Department as a reserve officer.
In order to do that, Asher needed the high school diploma that eluded him years earlier. In 1985, Asher went back to school and got his general education degree and in 1986 he started his life with the Sparks Police Department when he was hired as a sergeant.
Asher coached soccer at Reed High School for 22 years, retiring when he was hired as police chief in November.
In 2000, Asher received his associate’s degree in criminal justice and, in November 2008, received his bachelor’s degree in Business and Homeland Security from North Central University.
Asher also graduated from the FBI National Academy in 2007.
"I have admired Chief Asher's dedication to the safety of our citizens, and will miss his leadership," Sparks City Manager Shaun Carey said in the press release. "In his short tenure as chief, he has put in place some important crime-fighting programs. His departure is a tremendous loss for the city, but I wish him the best of success on his future endeavor."
What are you afraid of? If your people are really so good, they won't have a problem competing with people from other police departments. Transparency, folks. Have you ever heard of it?